Designed for younger player, 3-8, this is like the Wii for wee folks with a console, camera and controller that you hook up to your TV. These are largely games that will get kids off the couch and playing active physical games that are non-violent and have some educational content that parents can choose to fit their kids' ages and stages. Kids play by moving their bodies, using the controller that is designed for child size hands. They can use the controller two-handed play as with a joystick and buttons or change the handle into pointer mode and swing it like a wand. One of our test families liked the fact that they had access to LeapFrog's giant library of educational games. They did have some challenges in getting the children of different heights onto the screen at the same time.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
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Players will need a sense of humor as thy try to balance the playing pieces on the blue elephant. Take turns tossing the die to determine what shape stalk you are to put on the elephant. The wooden stalks are cut in square, semi-circle, triangular, and circles. But the pieces are long, so they give a new twist to the concepts of shape. There will be lots of rounds and plenty of laughter, we hope as everyone learns to stack their playing pieces with great care. It is a little trickier to balance these slender pieces than the classic pieces of Mr. Blockhead. They say 3 & up, but we think this is going to call for more dexterity. A better choice for older 4's and 5's.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
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Think Frozen meets Candyland. The four main characters (Elsa, Anna, Duke of Weselton and Kristoff) move around the mountains high above Arendelle. No ladders here but there are big pieces on the board that players may be required to turn or flip and may send a player backwards or forwards towards the finish line. Very straightforward and for fans of the movie, this will become a favorite.

Our testers loved the game play here that calls for "flying" your airplane from location to location. The planes are four soft foam gliders. You create a course to fly by placing the stage markers around your house. There are flight control tiles that challenge how you throw your glider (over your head, covering one eye, etc.). Each player takes a turn. The player that lands closest to the stage marker wins that toss. The player to have the highest score at the end of the course is the winner. 4 & up.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
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Twenty wooden tiles for playing around with numbers. One set from 1-10 has numerals carved out that kids can trace to get a sense of the shape for writing. Turn them over and count the ten indented dots. The second set of ten tiles has the number word on one side and matching number of painted objects on the flip side. Use these for playing matching games of numerals and objects, number words and numerals or many other variations. Use them also for sequencing from 1-10. These are marked for 2 & up, but really are more appropriate for 3-6.

Twenty-eight colorful dominoes are ready for matching games that require no reading or counting. Matching is by the seven fruits or veggies that kids will soon be able to know and name. But watch out—there are green pears and green peppers. Want to bend the rules and make it a color matching game—why not? A good pre-reading game for older 2's and up. With indented fronts and backs these are easy to grasp. Marked 2 & up.

Take your choice of licenses: Planes, Sofia the First, or Frozen, whatever appeals to your preschooler, this is a fun way to learn their letters by finding matching letters or images on a pair of cards. Kids identify the letter pairs by name and shape so this is a playful way to reinforce letter recognition. There are three ways to play with the 55 cards that fit neatly back in their round tin for take along ease. There is also a preschool game for matching numbers and shapes. Marked 3 & up, we think it is probably a better bet for 4-5's.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
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Fans of Tickety Toc will like trying to make it around the game board all the way to Chime Time, collecting rewards along the way. Of course, they will have to find missing tools on the playing board, pretend to be a fish or even dance like a robot. With each turn they get to turn the cog wheels on the unusual playing board and doing that moves the clock that much closer to Chime Time! Winner is the one with the most tiles. No game is exactly the same. 2-4 players ages 3 & up.

Two-sided wooden alphabet pieces have upper case on one side and lower case on the reverse. Made of wood, they are smooth and have a corner bent for ease of lifting and turning. They also have Braille symbols on each side. Use these for playing knowing and naming letter or sound games. Sort them by finding all the straight edged letters and then find all the ones with rounded lines. Plan Toys uses sustainable rubber wood that is coated with a non-toxic finish and colors from vegetable dye. Marked for 2 & up. We'd say more like a 3-5 year old choice.

SNAP: Useful for all sorts of knowing and naming letter names and sound games. Introduce just a few pieces at a time and play with those names and sounds.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

For kids who are fans of Planes will like playing the classic matching game of concentration. Put the cards face down and take turns turning over two to find a pair of matching planes. True, it may be an old game, but an important one for building memory skills. These cards with distinctive bright backgrounds make the task somewhat easier. 3 & up

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2014.
Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.